


The Last Rose of Summer

by rooftopkisses



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Demisexual Neil Josten, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Neil Josten Is an Idiot, Oblivious Neil Josten, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Sort Of, a matt boyd appreciation fic, brosten, im sorry queens, mention of andrew's self harm, the foxes all work together but where do they work? what do they do? who knows not me, unnecessary renee and kevin slander
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26428096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rooftopkisses/pseuds/rooftopkisses
Summary: Neil walks into Andrew's flower shop to get Matt a friend-iversary present. Andrew is under the impression Matt and Neil are dating, celebrating their one year anniversary. Confusion ensues.
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau, Matt Boyd & Neil Josten, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 26
Kudos: 255
Collections: AFTG Big Bang 2020





	The Last Rose of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> omg.... the day has finally arrived..... i am SO excited to get this fic out there. I honestly love it so much and hope you do too! I want to thank everyone who helped work on this fic, with a big shout out to the two amazing artists who's pieces can be seen in this fic as well as on tumblr. (go give them some love!) @aminiyard @microolli
> 
> cw: brief mention of andrew's self harm/scars

Neil was sitting on the couch in Matt and Dan’s apartment, mindlessly watching a documentary about penguins. He could see Matt out of the corner of his left eye on the other end of the couch, paying little attention to the TV and messing about with the apps on his phone instead. 

Neil spent more time at his best friend’s apartment than his own. He felt comfortable in Matt’s company, and, after all, Matt and Dan were the ones who had a subscription to Netflix that allowed Neil to watch the _Our Planet_ penguin special on repeat.

Feeling exhausted from the 10k run he took earlier that morning, coupled with the smooth, calming tone of the narrator’s voice, Neil decided that he ought to take a nap. He moved to rest his head on the arm of the brown floral-print couch, laying sideways with his feet just a few inches from Matt’s side. He laid like that for a while, his eyelids fluttering up and down, just minutes away from falling asleep when Matt interrupted his peaceful state with an audible gasp.

Neil shifted positions to lay on his back so he could look up at his friend. “What is it?” Neil asked.

Matt tore his gaze away from his phone, where his calendar was open, and turned his head just slightly to the right and looked at Neil with wide eyes. _“Neil.”_ Matt said his name like he was about to share the world’s greatest secret with the boy. “I just realized it’s almost June 9th.”

“Okay?” Neil had no idea where he was going with this.

_“Neil,”_ he said, even more cryptic than before, drawing out each letter of the short, one-syllable name. Neil just stared at his friend with a blank face. Matt’s eyes were looking right into Neil’s, like he was waiting to see the moment it clicked in Neil’s mind. Matt was grinning now, and the smile on his face didn’t fade when he said, “That’s the day we met! Our friend-iversary is coming up!”

It was Neil’s turn to smile now. He thought back to when he had first met Matt all those years ago. He moved to South Carolina without any friends, and he hadn’t exactly been actively looking for any either. In the beginning, he was distrusting of Renee, Seth was an asshole (Kevin, too, for that matter), and Neil hadn’t planned on getting close with any of his coworkers in the first place. But Matt was persistent. Protective. They quickly became friends, and when Matt invited him over for dinner one night, he met Dan as well. Whatever Matt saw in him, Dan did too, and the couple quickly adopted Neil, having him over for movie nights and morning coffee. In the past year, Neil’s life in South Carolina had become work, recreational exy, and Matt and Dan. He even started going out once a week with his group of coworkers for drinks, and he was surprised to say he didn’t hate it. He had everything he needed in his life: a stable place to live, friends, and a black cat named Peaches. He didn’t need anything else. Or so he thought.

*** 3 days later, _June 9th ***_

As much as Neil was looking forward to hanging out with Matt all day (going bowling, stopping at a pizza place for dinner), he’d admit that he had no idea what to get as a gift to celebrate and commemorate their year of friendship.

The last time he attempted to get someone a gift was Kevin’s birthday—but that wasn’t very hard; as long as you got something exy or history-related, you were golden. This was different, it wasn’t a birthday, it was an _anniversary._ He needed to get something special that said, “Thanks for being in my life! Thanks for being the world’s best friend! Thanks for being my first friend _ever!_”

It was four hours until Neil was meant to be at Matt’s apartment, and he still hadn’t come up with any ideas. With no better option, he began walking aimlessly down the shops of 5th Avenue in hopes of coming across some inspiration. He passed a couple of clothing stores, but he had “no sense of fashion” according to Allison, so that was a no-go. He considered stopping inside a bookstore, but he had no idea what kind of books Matt was in to (not that he’d seen Matt reading that often anyways) and he didn’t want to buy something that Matt would never use. 

Before he could look any further, he spotted a chalkboard easel resting on the sidewalk that read “Flowers For Any Occasion!” The thick bubble-lettering was underlined and there was a bulleted list beneath it that read: “Wedding Parties”, “Send Your Condolences”, “Anniversaries—” Oh. Oh. _Oh._ Now that he thought about it, he could recall Matt giving Dan a bouquet of roses for their anniversary last fall. _Of course_ flowers would be the perfect friend-iversary gift! He turned to walk into the shop, grabbing the door handle whilst shaking his head slightly in disbelief. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

The shop was small, with rows of black plastic gallon buckets positioned on wooden racks. Various flowers rested in the buckets, and the racks rose from floor to ceiling with limited aisle space in between the many isles. 

Neil was still stood at the front of the shop as his eyes wandered all over the place. There were so many flowers—types he had never even seen before—and his eyes went wide as he realized he had no idea what Matt would want. He’d never been in a floral shop before, how was he even _meant_ to go about purchasing the flowers? Luckily, (or unluckily, perhaps) he was interrupted from his thoughts when someone said, “Can I help you” in a dry voice. Neil turned to his left and noticed a desk with the words “Floral Occasion” on it—that must be the name of the shop then—and a short man standing behind it. He had blonde hair that looked almost white, and golden eyes that were staring at Neil, devoid of any emotion.

“Uhh yeah,” Neil stated dumbly, “I’m looking for some flowers.”

  
@aminiyard

Andrew Minyard didn’t hate his life, but he didn’t particularly like it either. He was just so _bored_ all. the. time. He couldn’t help but feel like he was waiting for something, _anything,_ to happen. Nicky had fallen in love and moved to Germany, Aaron had gotten his degree and become a doctor, but what about him? He was still waking up every morning to work at the flower shop, smoking cigarettes on his break, and coming home to his apartment every night to drink whiskey and have a staring contest with his cat—which he always won, by the way. 

June 9th had started off just like any other day. It was Monday, meaning Andrew would be alone at the shop. He liked working alone. The shop was typically in Andrew’s capable hands during the week, with Bee coming in on Fridays and Saturdays to help with the weekend crowd.

His alarm went off at 8am sharp. He quickly got ready (shower, brush teeth, eat toast with jam, yada yada yada), stopped by Mr. Pitts’ bowl to fill it up with dry cat food on his way out of the house, and began his walk to work.

There were no irregularities in his morning routine, and for a while his shift was going by just like every other day: trimming flower stems, making custom arrangements, dealing with a couple customers here and there—

Until 4:42, just 20 minutes shy of closing time, when a boy with crimson hair and ocean blue eyes entered Floral Occasions. 

***

“And what’s the occasion?” Andrew always thought that was a stupid thing to ask. He didn’t give a fuck what people did with the flowers they bought after they left the store, but _it’s important to get to know the customers, Andrew; this way, if they don’t know what they want, you have an idea on how to help them find the perfect flowers for their need._ Bee. She was lucky Andrew had too much respect for her to outright ignore her. Her ideals were annoying, but the disappointment that would make its way onto Bee’s face if she ever received a complaint about Andrew’s service would be much more bothersome.

The boy grinned, a dimple appearing on his right cheek. “An anniversary.”

Andrew made sure to keep his hazel eyes locked on blue whilst pausing the conversation to take a deep breath in. He continued to stare while audibly sighing as loud as possible as he exhaled. 

There were so many beautiful and unique flowers in the shop, but it seemed roses or sunflowers were the only two things that ever sold. People could be so predictable. Andrew didn’t know anything about the girl (guy?) the redhead was buying flowers for, but, come on, he should know better than to buy his partner such a cliché gift. Not that Andrew cared about a random stranger's anniversary. Of course not.

Andrew went around the counter into the thick of the shop—Aisle 4, 4 rows up, 2 buckets over—and grabbed a dozen roses. Roses, unlike the other flowers that were simply tossed into buckets to be plucked at needs be for an arrangement of the customer’s choice, came pre-arranged, 12 flowers bundled together and wrapped in plastic. 

Turning around to walk back to the counter, he noticed the kid was staring at a bucket of purple amaryllis. Andrew stopped in his tracks. It had to be a coincidence right? 

The redhead must have noticed Andrew had followed his gaze. “These are nice,” he said. He turned to look at Andrew. “They seem like the kind of flowers you’d have around,” he said before he chuckled softly. Andrew thought he must be dreaming. Or maybe his circuit board was malfunctioning. 

As a florist, Andrew knew a great deal about flowers and their language, and he often found himself thinking about which flower would best represent him, based on the meaning. Amaryllis meant _the blade of a sword,_ which was fitting _,_ because Andrew always had a folding knife on hand and it was known that he was _not afraid to use it_ (even though he mostly just used it to cut open cardboard boxes after a delivery) _._ Amaryllis also meant strength, integrity, and faithfulness, and Andrew was nothing if not strong, truthful, and loyal to his family. 

As Andrew’s brain turned to flames over the fact that some _kid_ who he had not said more than two words to was able to pick out the “perfect” flower for him, he realized the flower was now being _offered_ to him. Andrew could do nothing but take it from the redhead with an exasperated huff as he tried not to give away what was running through his mind.

Amaryllis represented the saying “you pierce my heart”, a message from the giver to the receiver. Logically, Andrew knew that _he_ wouldn’t know that. Not everyone spoke the language of flowers, which meant that this blue-eyed boy had no idea that he was gifting Andrew a flower that not only matched his personality, but also said _you pierce my heart._ Or, in plain English: _I like you._

As good as Andrew had become at hiding his emotions, he couldn’t help the scowl that had formed on his face. He quickly walked back to the front of the shop, taking both the lone amaryllis and the bouquet of roses to the counter. He bit down on his tongue to avoid pursing his lips as he set the flowers down and once again looked the boy in the eyes.

“A dozen roses. That’ll be 36 dollars,” Andrew stated.

He had the _audacity_ to smile—the second time in the span of 10 minutes, Andrew noticed—as he said, “Hey, I was thinking Matt would like roses, too!”

Matt. Huh. So he _was_ gay. That should be considered a win, Andrew supposed, but he was still in a relationship that had lasted at least one year, if not more. The redhead wasn’t likely to be single any time soon. Again, _not that he cared._

Andrew managed to suppress an eye roll as the customer (He was a customer. Nothing more. It didn’t matter that Andrew would have invited him to a night at Eden’s if he had come in here looking for flowers to take to a funeral or something, because hypotheticals were pointless. and this _unfairly_ attractive man was in a relationship. and Andrew was _not_ going to be _that_ guy) took a couple steps towards the front of the counter and reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet.

Andrew shook his head and put his palm up in a stopping motion. “We don’t take cards here. Or did you not read the sign?” He flicked his finger to the left and pointed at the sign right in front of the register, continuing on before he was interrupted. “Bee’s old school, I have to fill out a form for invoice, and you can pay in cash, or check.” Andrew reached to his right to grab the order forms, taking in the fact that the lanky blue-eyed boy still hadn’t said a word, his expression looking a little stunned as he simply put his card back into his wallet and began to pull out cash.

Andrew didn’t even bother looking down at the form. He knew what it said, he knew the information he had to get. “Name,” Andrew ‘asked’ in a monotone voice, looking at the boy while he stared back at him.

“Neil Josten,” he said. 

Before Andrew could continue on and ask for an address—required for records in case the customer ever wanted flowers delivered—he was interrupted.

“What’s yours?” he asked.

Andrew’s stare turned into a glare, his eyes narrowing, mouth pursing before slowly opening to drawl out, “Now, why would you ask me that?”

“I dunno. Guess I’m just curious.”

Once more, Andrew found himself sighing as the boy looked at him with just the _tiniest ((_ softest _))_ smile. “It’s Andrew,” he heard himself reply.

“Andrew. Okay, cool.” He could tell the redhead was trying his hardest not to break into a full on grin right now, which, fuck him.

Andrew needed this kid out of his shop ASAP—invoice be damned—before he did any more damage to his psyche. He took the money from him, quickly opened the cash register, and shoved the four dollars change back into his hands. ~~The redhead~~ Neil continued to stand there, so Andrew gave him a curt “Goodbye” and watched as one last glance was cast his way before the boy left the shop, roses in hand.

  
@microolli

Neil walked up the stairs to Matt’s apartment, roses in one hand, key in the other. The key to Matt’s apartment was still one of his most prized possessions; he would always remember the day it was given to him, the way Matt put his trust in him without any hesitation or reservations.

Matt was sitting on the couch when Neil opened the door, tennis shoes sat in front of him. He glanced up just for a moment to see who it was, then began putting on his left shoe. “Neil! Buddy! Happy Friend-iversary!” Matt had a huge grin on his face, not noticing Neil’s nerves as he ran a hand down his dark blue sweater in an attempt to smooth it out. “You ready to go?” Matt said, eyes still on the floor as he began to tie his laces.

“Yeah,” Neil replied. “Um... Matt?” He really shouldn’t be this nervous, but he could feel a blush creeping up onto his cheeks and he found that his bottom lip was between his teeth, picking at the skin as he waited for his friend to look up. Matt stood from the couch, still not noticing the hand behind Neil’s back as he grabbed the lanyard that held his keys from the hook by the door, and stopped as Neil was still blocking the doorway. “What is it?”

Neil took a couple steps back to put the other man at arms length, then thrusted the flowers at his chest. “Here. Happy friend-iversary.”

Neil had known Matt for an entire year. He quickly learned that Matt’s default position seemed to be a smile; the guy was always grinning, whether it be when Dan called him “sweetie”, or something more mundane like getting a Jeopardy question right before the contestants even had a chance to say their answer. Neil would be concerned if Matt _didn’t_ smile at his gift, but, my god, in the entire year Neil had known him, he’d never seen him smile so wide.

“Are you okay? It looks like your smile is going to break your face and you haven’t said anything yet,” Neil pointed at said smile and began to frown himself, unsure if this kind of reaction was a good thing.

For a moment they both just stood there, frozen in silence, before Matt tilted his head back, put his hand over his chest, and let out the biggest scream-of-a-laugh. “Neil—”, he hunched over, hands on his knees, and said between gasping, laughing breaths “Neil— Oh my god, Neil.”

“Yeah. That’s my name. What’s so funny?”

“No, I mean uhh—” Matt cleared his throat, valiantly trying to get his laugh under control. “Roses are just… it’s a gift couples give to each other? Like, I’m pretty sure I’ve given Dan roses a dozen different times by now. And besides, you didn’t have to get me anything man, I just wanted to hang out with you tonight. But— Thank you! It’s cute, honestly.” There was a sheepish smile on his face now, and just the smallest tint of a blush if you looked close enough.

Neil rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and said, “Right. Okay… Uh, sorry. Let’s just go.”

“Don’t be sorry! Let me put these in some water before we head out!”

***

Turns out the bowling alley (“Strike Out”) served pizza, so there was no need to stop at two place that night. After a few back-to-back rounds—with Neil scoring in the 200s and Matt resorting to putting the bumpers up in order to get numbers on the board—they headed over to the lounge to grab a couple slices of hawaiian.

As much fun as Neil had been having, which, he really _was_ having a lot of fun—Matt could turn his worst nightmare into a birthday party if he tried—Neil’s interaction from earlier that day was still lingering in the back of his mind. His interaction with the boy from the flower shop— _Andrew._

Neil tossed his napkin down on the paper plate in front of him. His mind was going back and forth as to whether or not he should tell Matt what had been nagging at him all night. 

It had taken a bit of time for his friends to understand that he wasn’t interested in dating, or interested in talking about how good someone looked based on what they were wearing, or talking about how attractive they were. Neil didn’t want to talk about that kind of stuff, he didn’t even have an _opinion_ on that kind of stuff. So, bringing it up to Matt now… trying to explain what was going on in his mind… that he was _interested_ in someone… he wasn’t sure if he knew how to explain it. Matt would be understanding, surely, but what was it exactly that he was meant to understand?

Before he could resolve his inner turmoil, Matt broke the silence.

“Are you alright? Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a good time, but... you seem off, somehow?”

Neil continued to stare at the napkin on his plate, as if he could just ignore Matt—pretend he hadn’t heard him and get out of answering his question. Neil was having a good time too, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Andrew. Which was insane. He was only in that shop for like 15 minutes, and the two didn’t talk about anything other than flowers. What the hell made Andrew any different from the barista he got his coffee from this morning? Or the woman in Renee’s department at work that Allison claimed had a crush on him?

After several minutes of awkward silence between the two friends, Neil finally looked up, and before his brain could catch up to his mouth he heard himself say “How did you feel when you met Dan?” 

His resolve didn’t last long, however, so he averted his eyes and awkwardly tried to explain. “I mean, uh, you know, what makes Dan different? Like, different than... other girls?”

Matt’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he took in what Neil was asking. Neil would laugh at his friend’s caught-of-guard expression, if this situation was in any way funny. He’d never _liked_ anyone before. He just knew Andrew was different.

Luckily, Matt quickly got over his astonishment. Neil knew Matt couldn’t stop himself from gushing about Dan when given the chance. 

“Dan and I have been together for two and a half years, but… what I felt when we first met, those feelings have only grown tenfold over time, man. She… she makes me feel strong. Like, she’s a _fierce_ woman and the fight she has holds me up and motivates me to keep fighting too. She helped me get past my addictions, as you already know, and every day, every damn day after working together for eight hours straight, I just want to come home and spend all night with her.” As Matt spoke, Neil’s attention was captured and he was forced to look up, watching as Matt’s face morphed to match everything he was saying. With every word his friend said his expression became more and more open. His eyes grew watery and a small, wistful smile replaced the grin that usually adorned his face.

Neil didn’t know what to say, so he reached his hand out to Matt’s and tried to convey everything with a squeeze.

However, as Matt’s earnest expression continued, Neil felt compelled to say a quick “Thank you, for telling me that” in hope to move on—but Matt wasn’t as eager to go back to bowling.

“If I can, what made you ask that? You’ve always said you weren’t interested before…” Matt trailed off, knowing he only had a 50/50 shot of actually getting an answer.

Neil couldn’t hide his hesitation as his body tensed up and his nerves spread his fingers wide across his hand.

Eventually, he released a sigh and let his body relax. He replied, “I felt something. For someone, and I didn’t know what the feeling was so—now I know.”

“Wait, wait, wait. yOU HAVE A CRUSH??”

_“Matt.”_ Neil said, echoing the tone Matt used back when he first mentioned that June 9th was the day they met.

“Right. I’m your best friend and I am prepared for any situation,” Matt assured himself. “I mean, you’re lucky Dan’s not here, or, God forbid, _Allison.”_

_“Matt.”_ Neil hissed.

“Do you want to talk about it? I have a million questions; Where did you meet? What’s their name? What _made_ you feel this way? Was it something they said? I know you can recognize attractiveness, but you never _find_ anyone attractive. _Do you find them attractive?_ ”

Even Neil knew he must have looked like he wanted to die.

Matt quickly backtracked. “But, you know, I won’t actually _ask_ any of those questions unless, you uh, want to answer them. I’m just happy that what I said actually helped you out.”

Neil sighed, “Okay. No, to like, all of the above. I don’t want to talk about it, because none of this matters anyways.” As Matt’s face twisted into confusion, Neil clarified: “I’m never going to see them again.”

It’s not like Neil ever had reason to go to the flower shop again. And besides, he knows how the scars across his face make him look. Andrew probably isn’t interested. He probably doesn’t feel the same way.

“So, this is all irrelevant. It doesn’t matter.”

**One month Later, _July 9th**_

Minutes after Neil left his shop, Andrew’s life returned to normalcy. Weeks passed, and the only hitch in Andrew’s life was the thunderstorm and flooding that occurred the last Sunday of June, soaking Andrew’s all-black converse and forcing him to ditch his walk to work and call Bee for a ride instead. 

Exactly one month had passed since he sold a dozen roses to one Neil Josten, and Andrew was pointedly _not_ thinking about it. Or him. It had been 30 days, and if Neil hadn’t come back to Floral Occasions since then, well it was obvious he wasn’t ever going to. And if _Josten_ wasn’t thinking about Andrew, then Andrew was certainly not thinking about Josten. Or what flower might be the best match for _his_ personality.

After a shift mostly spent making bridal bouquets, Andrew found himself out on his balcony, lazily smoking a cigarette, when his phone rang. Had it been anyone but Renee he would have ignored it, but Renee knew better than to call. He and Renee met twice a month in the basement of their gym to box one-on-one, and anything that needed to be said was said in the ring.

“Hello Andrew, it's nice to speak to you again.”

Andrew made a noncommittal noise. “Is there a purpose for this call?”

Renee knew better than to think Andrew was being cruel, so she got to the point without any further small talk.

“Did you know Allison’s birthday is coming up?”

Silence.

After a dragged-out pause, Renee continued. “Allison just got into a huge fight with her parents. They were planning a party for her. But, well it wasn’t really _for_ her. They didn’t invite her friends; they were planning to throw a huge yacht party with business investors and socialites. She told them she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to be paraded around and have her birthday used as an excuse for her parents to gain more connections. She got the party cancelled before too much damage could be done—before the invites could be sent out—but you know Allison, that’s not enough. Her parents haven’t even spoken to her these last few days, Andrew. And her birthday’s the 16th, she only has a week to plan; she wants as many people there as possible and she’s asked me to invite anyone I know.”

On the exhale of his drag, Andrew made the stupid decision to grace that rambling nonsense with a reply. “So?” 

He could hear Renee’s replying sigh and envisioned her looking up, silently asking her God for patience. Eventually, she continued, still hovering around the fact she was asking Andrew to go to Allison’s party. Like that would ever happen. Andrew assumed she was trying to “sweeten the deal” with what she said next.

“Allison’s inviting everyone in her department, of course. That means Kevin will be there, so you’ll know someone else besides me.” Unfortunately, Andrew did know Kevin. Him being in attendance was not a selling point. “I’m inviting everyone in my department…Abby, Jeremy…and I thought I’d ask you, too.”

“And why, exactly, would I say yes.”

Renee paused again before speaking. This conversation was taking far longer than it needed to. Far longer than Andrew _wanted_ it to. 

“I didn’t want it to come to this, Andrew. Won’t you go, just as a favor to me and Allison?”

“No.” That should have been the end of the conversation. Andrew should’ve cut Renee off and hung up right then, but what did she mean, _I didn’t want it to come to this._

_“_ You owe me, Andrew. Remember our deal?” Renee asked.

Fuck. She was right. Call it a personality flaw, but Andrew operated strictly in deals. Back in college, Andrew had spent a week of his winter break with Betsy at the Columbia house getting clean the same way Aaron had before him. Renee had offered to keep an eye on his family (Aaron, Nicky, Kevin) during his absence free of charge, but Andrew didn’t want to have that kind of favor hanging over him. He proposed a deal instead: she would watch them while Andrew was in no state of mind to do so, and Andrew would owe her for something down the line. Years later, and here she was to collect. Andrew couldn’t say no, so he said—

“Yes,” before promptly hanging up. Renee could text him the details later.

*** _July 16th***_

Allison’s birthday fell on a Wednesday. However, this was a fact greatly ignored as Allison hired a bartender to cover every corner of the venue, all trained to make her custom drink for the night: _Coconut Birthday Bellini_

***

It was 10 till 9, but Andrew hadn’t bothered getting ready yet, uncaring of if he was going to be late. He wasn’t going to spend any more damn time at the party than necessary.

He was lying on his couch—as he had been for the past hour or so—with Mr. Pitts on his stomach, using one hand to scratch under his chin, and the other to hold the book he was reading.

Eventually he got up, but he procrastinated a little bit longer by snagging a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar from the cupboard; Mr. Pitts following him into the kitchen as he hopped up on the counter to eat it.

At 10 past 9 he finally made his way to the bedroom, grabbing a couple items of clothing from his closet before heading to the bathroom to change.

He might not want to go out tonight, but he had too much respect for himself to show up looking anything less than a 10. He’d showered earlier that day, so he started changing out as soon as the door was shut. He put on a pair of black skinny jeans, which he matched with a dark gray sweater (that had sleeves long enough to form sweater paws, of course). He did a quick look in the mirror before heading back to the living room to grab his pink vans—the ones with green vines and dark pink roses stitched into the side—and put them on after rolling the cuffs of his jeans twice. His black nail polish was chipping slightly, but it would do. Finally, he ditched his contacts and put on his black American Typewriter glasses.

***

Allison’s birthday was being held in a hotel, the ballroom adorned with white and gold banners, centerpieces, and confetti.

Andrew ignored the growing crowd as he made a beeline straight to the bar—the one furthest from the entrance—and ordered a glass of the finest whiskey they had (if he had to be here, he might as well get something out of it).

He didn’t stray far from the bar, finding a place against the wall and watching as time passed and the masses got more and more drunk, their dancing becoming sloppier with each sip.

Unfortunately he couldn’t hide forever. A couple hours in and Renee found him and dragged him over to meet everyone and _Make sure you wish Allison a Happy Birthday, Andrew_.

Allison was wearing a red wrap dress with a sash over it that read “Birthday Princess” in gold glittery cursive. She was talking to men Andrew didn’t know; one tall and blonde, the other a more average height—still towering over Andrew, of course—with a style that could only be described as goth. Or punk, actually. Take your pick.

Allison caught sight of Renee as they drew closer and smiled wide in lue of a greeting.

“Andrew, you know Allison, and this is Jeremy, and his boyfriend Jean. Boys, this is my friend Andrew,” Renee said.

Andrew simply nodded his head once in acknowledgement.

Jeremy, however, wasn’t deterred. “So _this_ is Andrew. Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to finally meet you! I’ve heard _so_ much about you! It gets pretty slow sometimes down at the office, and sometimes Renee and I just talk for hours on end!”

Before Andrew could (not) respond, Allison interrupted with a shriek. “There’s Lalia! Sorry guys, I’ve gotta go greet more guests. Talk to you later?”, the last part being directed at Renee. After a smile and nod from Renee, Allison quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek and was off. Jeremy and Jean soon left as well, claiming they both needed to “use the restroom”, leaving Renee and Andrew alone again.

But not for long. Soon after the first group left, two giants (both at least 6’2) suddenly stood before Andrew. The woman was wearing a strapless dress, her biceps on display. The man had his arm wrapped around her, whispering in her ear as they walked towards Andrew and Renee.

Andrew wanted nothing more than to slip outside for a cigarette, but he was somehow stuck meeting two more of Renee’s “friends” (coworkers, more like).

“Andrew, this is Dan and this is—”

“Matt! They didn’t have Fanta but I got you Sunkist.”

Andrew watched as a rush of crimson hair swiftly shimmied their way next to Renee and handed _Matt_ his drink.

Matt. Like the Matt _Neil_ was buying flowers for that day. Andrew froze, unable to process what was happening as the man came into focus and all he could see were those piercing blue eyes. Time stopped as he took Neil in, unable to question what the hell he was even doing here as his gaze drifted down to the white dress shirt Neil was wearing, the sleeves rolled sloppily below the elbow—exposing his forearms—and the _tight_ black plants that showed off his thick thighs. Andrew considered this a far improvement to the baggy clothes he was wearing back at the shop. And Neil’s unstyled hair, currently sweaty and going every which way only made Andrew’s _gay beating heart_ beat faster.

“Thanks Neil” Matt ruffled Neil’s hair, making it even more ~~pretty~~ messy than before.

Andrew needed time to think. Time to think about how before Neil arrived he had already concluded that Matt and Dan were dating from the constant touches and the way they were leaning into each other, and shit, maybe the three of them were polymorous—who was he to judge—but the ruffling of the hair was such a _friendly_ gesture. 

But Andrew didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to question what the _fuck_ was going on. This was happening _right now_ and enough time had already passed for everyone, including Neil, to notice that Andrew hadn’t taken his eyes off him since he arrived.

Renee chuckled awkwardly before starting the introductions over. “Like I was saying, this is Matt, Dan, and Neil. Guys, this is—”

“Andrew.” Neil said, his mouth opening into the perfect surprised “o” shape.

Renee huffed good naturedly. “Can y’all stop interrupting me?” 

“You two know each other?” Matt asked.

“Neil.” Andrew responded, at the same time Neil said—

“Yeah” in answer to Matt’s question.

Neil, the bastard, was smiling. Andrew, meanwhile, was trying to juggle the fact that he’d pissed off Renee and accidentally ignored her simply because he couldn’t take his eyes off Neil. The fact that he didn’t know why or how the hell Neil was even here in the first place was aggravating, and he _needed_ to know if this was the Matt Neil bought roses for.

He couldn’t hold off any longer. 

“Are you two are dating?” Andrew asked as he flicked his finger between Matt and Dan.

“Uhh yeah, why?” Matt asked, one eyebrow raised. Dan looked equally confused as she furrowed her eyebrows and began to stare Andrew down as if he was a threat or something.

“I thought _y o u_ two were dating” Andrew said, as he moved his finger slightly to gesture between Matt and Neil. 

Dan fought hard to keep her composure. Matt, on the other hand, had no such qualms of even _trying_ to remain dignified. He started giggling hysterically, with no end in sight as it transformed into an outright cackle. 

Neil blinked at Andrew, mouth agape once more. In a high pitched tone, and in an increasingly erratic manner, he asked, “What? Why on earth would you think _that_?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you bought him flowers on your anniversary.”

That got Matt’s attention. He looked back and forth between the two of them. “Wait, you’re the guy?” he asked Andrew. “Neil, _this_ is the guy?”

“Okay everybody out,” Neil said, as he valiantly—but with no avail—tried to shove Matt away. Neil’s thin body had nothing on Matt, 6 foot and built like a brick house.

“Neil—” Matt started.

“Nope. I’m serious. Everybody go… do something else. Now.”

Matt scoffed, but it was clearly more teasing than anything.

“Alright, Alright,” he relented, “Dan, Renee,” he nodded in the direction of the dance floor.

They were alone, but Neil still wasn’t forthcoming with any information. Andrew simply said “Follow me” and turned around to head outside.

Every hotel, no matter how fancy, always had a spot along the back where cigarette butts littered the ground. Andrew took up post against the creme colored wall, putting one foot flat against it.

He took out his cigarette pack and offered one to Neil before lighting his own.

Neil looked out into the dark night whilst Andrew looked at him. He had questions, but they could wait a little longer.

When his cigarette was halfway to the filter, he spoke. “Desert island foods, go.”

Neil turned to him. “What?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“Say the apocalypse started. You raid a grocery store, grabbing all the essentials, but this is also your one last chance to eat your favorite foods. What would you take?”

“Okay…” Neil started, clearly hesitant. He twirled his cigarette as he thought, eyebrows pinched in concentration.

“Strawberries.”

Andrew hummed. 

“Grapes. And… pineapple?”

Andrew snorted. “All fruit?”

“I like fruit,” Neil mumbled. “Well what about you then?”

“A gallon tub of ice cream—which I’d have to eat first before it melted—then I’d raid the bakery section for a fresh chocolate on chocolate cake. Finally, and I know what you’re thinking, but I’m _not_ taking all desserts. Finally, I’d go to the cereal aisle and grab a family-sized box of Cocoa Puffs.”

“You’ve really thought this out,” Neil said after a brief pause.

Andrew hummed in response. “One ought to be prepared,” he said.

Neil was quiet again, after that. 

Andrew finished his first cigarette, then started a second.

Once Andrew’s second cigarette was down to the last few drags—Neil had stopped after one, seemingly enjoying breathing in the smell of smoke rather than smoking the cigarette itself—Neil uttered a single word, “friendiversary.” 

“Huh?” Andrew said eloquently, for he must have misheard.

Neil looked down at him. “Earlier, you said I bought Matt flowers for our anniversary but it wasn’t— we’re not dating, okay? It wasn’t a romantic thing, it was a _friend_ iversary.” 

Andrew was at a loss for words. “That’s not even a real thing.”

“We were celebrating the day we first met,” Neil said, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his voice.

“I’ve known him for over a year now.

He’s my best friend,” Neil mumbled. 

“So, you’re not gay then?” Andrew didn’t know why he asked that, but he did.

“What? Uh, I don’t know.” Neil looked away for a moment.

“I mean,” Neil sighed. He looked back at Andrew. “I do know. I don’t know why I said that. I’ve actually done a lot of work recently doing research and finding a label I can comfortably identify with. I’m demisexual. It’s on the asexual spectrum. And, technically, I guess if we’re looking specifically at gender, I’m pansexual too. So, I can like men in theory but—I’m not gay.”

Andrew paused for a moment to take that in. 

Demisexual. _people who experience sexual attraction after an emotional bond has formed_ his eidetic memory told him. And Neil thought of himself as pan, so Andrew had a chance. A slim one, but a chance nonetheless. He wondered what Neil was thinking, if Neil thought there was a chance Andrew could be the person he would form a close bond with. Was Neil even interested in him? He stopped himself. Speculation wouldn’t do him any good.

“Well I am,” he eventually responded.

“What?” Neil asked.

“I’m gay, if you were wondering.”

“Oh, right. Cool…”

“Neil.” He thought of Neil’s easy smiles, how Neil managed to catch him off guard when he asked for his name back at Floral Occasions, and not to mention the freakish way in which he picked out the perfect flower to represent Andrew after one barely-even-a-conversation. He turned his body to face Neil’s, resting his shoulder against the wall, cigarette long forgotten. 

“I want to kiss you yes or no?” He said it all in one big breath, the words running together.

“Yes.” Neil said.

Andrew leaned in. Neil tasted like strawberries, which shouldn't have been a surprise after their last conversation. Seeing Neil again after their first meeting at the shop, kissing Neil now, it was everything Andrew had been waiting for. He parted his mouth and Neil followed suit, the kiss deepening. Andrew didn’t want this kiss to ever end. He forever wanted his lips attached to Neil’s. Neil made a small noise in the back of his throat, confirming to Andrew that he was enjoying this too. Good.

Eventually, they had to break apart; Andrew doing his best to control his breathing, trying to seem less affected than he actually was. 

This time, Neil was the first to speak. “Would you wanna go out sometime?” he asked. Followed by a mock-whispered, “I hear that's something normal people do, go on dates.”

“Yes.” Andrew answered.

“Alright, cool. I’ll bring the roses,” Neil winked.

He went back the way they came, presumably to catch up with Allison, Renee, Matt, and Dan. Andrew still didn’t know how Neil knew all of them, but that question could be answered another day. For now, he was content with the knowledge that he would see Neil again.

And they were going on a date.

Andrew tried not to panic. He didn’t go back into the hotel, back to the party. He kept his promise, and explaining the ‘Neil situation’ to Renee during their next gym session would be torture enough to make up for his quick exit.

He drove home, and was soon lying in bed wondering why Neil was still such a present force in his mind even after he had gotten his answers.

**ONE YEAR LATER**

They tried the dating thing; going out to eat, going to the movies. But Neil didn’t really like movies, and Andrew didn’t really like public displays of affection.

Soon they were no longer dating, they were just _together._

Neil had moved in with Andrew three months in, as they fell into a routine privately getting to know one another. Mr. Pitts wasn’t too happy about his new sibling, but after some convincing on Peaches part, he grew to tolerate her. Neil had dubbed them “The Halloween Cats”, due to their colors, and Andrew refused to find it adorable. He did however make sure to keep the fridge stocked with fruit and the bedside table stocked with lube.

Neil had joined in on Andrew’s monthly video calls with Aaron and Nicky at the six month mark. When Andrew first introduced Neil to his family over skype, Nicky thought it a good idea to spend ten minutes asking Neil _far_ too personal questions, before Andrew finally stepped in and threatened to hang up. Nicky tried to contain his excitement and curiosity after that. Unlike Nicky, Aaron wasn’t too happy with Neil joining the family so suddenly, but Andrew put an end to the argument after he pointed out that he had to deal with Katelyn (and Erik, although he really wasn’t too bad) so it was only fair.

Eight months in and Andrew had panicked. He couldn’t _really_ have this could he? Nothing in Andrew’s life had gone right before. His life had been an uphill climb; fighting and working for everything he had… and even then what he had wasn’t perfect. He had been torn apart and put back together multiple times, leaving his trust and emotions fractured, the seam lines still visible on his arms.

But Neil never left; he stayed at Andrew’s side and proved to be one of the only constants in his life. One year in, and Neil was no longer a pipe dream, he was forever.

Andrew still worked at Floral Occasions, but he cut back on his hours and Bee hired a girl named Robin to work the shifts Andrew didn’t.

Andrew was working today. He was a couple hours into his shift, but he’d been distracted all day. Mindlessly putting together arrangements until he stepped out of his head and realized they looked like crap, forcing him to start over.

It had officially been one year since him and Neil had started dating; one year since they first kissed outside the hotel. It was a little weird that their anniversary fell on Allison’s birthday, but Andrew could no longer complain at Renee’s choice in partner seeing as Allison had become one of Neil’s closest friends.

In fact, Allison had actually texted Andrew a couple days ago with advice for what he should do to celebrate their anniversary. She revealed that this year she and Renee were celebrating her birthday just the two of them, that Renee had planned a romantic candlelight dinner at a private restaurant a couple hours away that overlooked the ocean. 

Andrew had promptly blocked her, after a quick text stating not to get involved in his relationship. 

This resulted in Allison complaining to both Renee and Neil; the former sending a text politely ~~asking~~ demanding he unblock her, and the latter persuading him with neck kisses and a pleading look in his eyes and his lips in a pout that Andrew bit harshly in retaliation, coaxing a groan out of the redhead. Fifteen minutes later Andrew found his phone from where it had fallen in between the couch cushions and unblocked her. Wisely, Allison hadn’t texted him since.

Despite it being their anniversary, Andrew had headed to work in the morning just like any other day. And Neil was planning to go over to Dan and Matt’s later that afternoon. It wasn’t that either party was unaware of their anniversary—Neil had offhandedly mentioned it over breakfast, recounting Allison’s party and saying he couldn’t believe how much money he had dropped on ice cream over the past year. 

But Andrew could tell he didn’t expect them to celebrate.

Technically, he was right. Andrew’s surprise had more to do with the day they first met. 

Andrew used his power as a florist to add an extra hundred roses to their weekly truck delivery. The one that just so happened to be delivered today. 

Delivery days always meant that Andrew had to stay late, as the truck came right when they closed at five pm. He helped the driver unload the calla lilies, daisies, and different types of eucalyptus. There were boxes of honeysuckle and lavender and peonies. When only the roses remained in the truck, Andrew asked if the driver would make another stop.

It took a little bribing, but eventually Andrew was standing in his apartment—his and _Neil’s_ apartment—with one hundred red roses. 

Neil was due home in an hour, so Andrew quickly got to work spreading flower petals across the bed and placing roses in various vases all across the floor (he had taken a couple secret trips to Goodwill to buy out all the vases they had). He weaved roses into the bedframe and stuck one behind his ear for good measure. Finally, he hung up fairy lights on the wall behind the bed and threw some on the floor too, the string of lights snaking between the flower vases. He was already wearing his best black t-shirt and jeans, so all he could do was sit on the bed and wait.

———————————————————————————————————————

Neil unlocked the apartment door (he still couldn’t believe he had _another_ key to add to his collection—another place for him to call home) and Andrew was nowhere to be found. He toed off his sneakers and bent down to give Peaches a few chin scratches. “Is Andrew here?” he whispered to the cat. _He should be_ , Neil thought, he had never worked later than 6 before, and it was already half past. He peered down the hallway and saw that the bedroom door was closed, so he made his way over and hesitantly knocked twice.

“Drew? You in there?”

“Come in,” he got in reply.

Neil opened the door. The first thing he thought was how impressive it was that Andrew had thought ahead to make sure that when Neil opened the door he didn’t slam it into any vases and break the glass. The vases, the roses, they were _everywhere._ And Andrew was right in the center of it all, like something out of a dream.

“Happy Anniversary, Neil”

“Andrew, oh my god.” Neil was grinning unabashedly. “This is… incredible! And the lights… I can’t believe you did all this.” He was right in front of Andrew now, looking down at the man who meant more to him than anything else in the world. 

Andrew gripped the back of his knees and pulled him into his lap. “Yes?” Neil asked.

“Yes.” Andrew answered. Neil kissed him twice, once on the forehead, and another slow and soft on his lips. “Thank you,” Neil whispered. “This is amazing. _You’re_ amazing.”

Andrew’s ears and cheeks had turned a shade of red that rivaled the rose tucked in his ear. “I seem to remember a certain someone thinking roses were a good anniversary gift.”

He kissed Andrew again as a thank you, letting this one linger, waiting to see if Andrew had any other plans with his surprise.

Andrew just opened his mouth and kissed him deeper. His hands were in Neil’s hair and Neil had his arms wrapped around Andrew’s waist for balance.

They made out like this for a few minutes, soft, slow, and domestic. But inevitably, things took a turn and Neil found himself being flipped onto the bed—his back hitting the rose petals.

“Yes or No?” Andrew asked.

“Yes,” Neil answered, already pulling off his shirt. Neil had once thought of his scars as something that would turn other people away, but Andrew had only pulled him closer. Neil hadn’t chosen his scars, but he had chosen to no longer be ashamed of them, and to share them with Andrew. Andrew chose to love him—and not despite his scars. He had chosen to love him, scars and all.

Neil gripped Andrew’s hair as the blonde ran kisses from neck to his waist. Neil moaned, unexpectedly, and Andrew’s breath stuttered in response.

Over their year together, Andrew had mapped out Neil’s body, learning what spots were sensitive and made Neil lose control. Neil was embarrassed at first, of the noises Andrew was able to coax out of him. But it soon became clear that Andrew liked it when he was loud, so Neil no longer tried to turn his head away and cover his mouth with a pillow or his hand. He liked that Andrew liked it.

Back in the bedroom, pants and underwear had been discarded. Neil finally had a moment to catch his breath as Andrew reached over to grab a bottle of lube from the nightstand.

Andrew looked so beautiful in this light, and that’s exactly what Neil told him. The warm yellow fairy lights illuminated his hair, casting a glow around him like an angel.

“Shut up,” Andrew responded, as their bodies connected and they became full of one another.

Neil was a withering moaning mess. “ _Andrew_ ,” he said on an exhale.

Their eyes locked as they came, one after the other.

Afterwards, they lay on the bed: Neil’s head resting on Andrew’s shoulder, the bed sheet haphazardly thrown over them.

Andrew reached up and grabbed one of the roses that was wrapped around the headboard. He tucked it behind Neil’s ear.

Neil didn’t try to hide his smile. He stared at Andrew, this man that hadn’t shied away from him or his past and had given him something he never thought he could have.

“Happy anniversary,” Neil said softly.

And they fell asleep just like that; intertwined, sated, and happy.

  
Neil @microolli  
Protea: Named after the son of Poseidon, Proteus, who would often change his shape and appearance to avoid being found. Protea symbolizes transformation, change, and courage.

  
Andrew @aminiyard  
Amaryllis: the blade of the sword. Amaryllis symbolizes strength, integrity, faithfulness, and determination.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave a comment they keep me fed :z


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